, 1887-03-02


contain. The free use of eggs as an arti'
Gle of diet he highly approves, but stipu-
lateS that if cooked at all-they are most
easily digested when taken raw-they shall
be lightly boiled, not boiled hard or fried.
''In a hot climate like that of the West In
dies, the less butchers meat) a man eats
the better for him." Turning to vegeta'
bles, Mr.. Pierce does not think the fire.
quent use of sweet potatoes Is to be recon-
men led, on account of the sugar they con-
tain; but green vegetables, such as cab.
Oage, watercress, squash, &c, are very
beneficial; and he is strongly of opinion
that such articles of diet as beans, peas
and Indian corn, in the form of cornmeal.
have not yet received the attention they
fully merit. That he strongly insists upon
the vital Importance Of good and simple
cooking goes without saying. Coming to
the second branch of his subject, "drink,"
the author says that to the question "What
must drink z" many people would reply
"NOthing alcoholic" And he freely adj
mits that al excessive use of alcohol is
highly deleterious, either in hot climates
or elsewhere. FYet" The adds 'if people
must have some sort of stimulant, | certain
ly say q go Il brand of aBhiSky, in mOdera-
ton, is the least hurtful liquor one can
use in the tropics" This outspOken ex-
preston of opinion on so controversial q
subject should endear Mr.. Pierce to the
heart of every true ScOtchman in Her Ma
jesty's dominions, and on the strength OF
it we would advise him to adopt Demerara
as his domicile, only we are not sure that
his definition of moderation will receive.
equally ready acceptance: He thinks half
q bottle Of whisky a day ga rather exces'
sive amount" There are q good many
here who will not agree with him very
~@Al 100 49, -. Ss--~r nN Nnn
malt liquors he gives the pas to bitter beer,
in preference to ordinary ale or porter;
and d%isapprOves an toto Of the free use OF
wine in the tropics. The notion that claret
"makes blood is a delusiOn. Claret is an
astringtnt liquor, that quality being due
to the presence in it of "tannic acid" which
acts upon the stomach by constructing the
mouths of the 'gaStriC f~OlliCleS, therby
preventing the secretion of the gastric flu.
id. The same acid exists in all wines;
consequently it is not right that much OF
any kind should be taken at meals. The
same astringent principle is found III tea
also, but it's action may be modified, If not
entirely neutralized, by the employment
as a corrective Of bi-carbonate of soda.
Nh. Pierce does not "grumble against tea
at breakfast" but against the fashionable
'afternoon teas" he strenuously protests,
and i'll earnest words implOres the softer
sex not TO "indulge in tea before dinner"
BY so doing they construct their gastric
glands, with the result that the food they
eat is not properly digested; then, their
''pOor heads' ache and they feel ill. How
sad it all is! Pity our mothers and grand
mothers never found it out! For similar
reasons the use of coffee also is discOurag..
ed, and "shOuld be avoided by persons OF
weak Digestion" "CocOatina, with plenty OF
milk, is generally recommended to dyspep-
tic subjects, but it will not be advisable for
them to use the chocolate prepared in the
West Indies, owing to the amount of cocoa
butter it contains. OF all the non-alco-
holic beverages procurable in the tropics,
Mr.. Pierez pronounces "the juice of the
lime or lemon, sweetened and diluted, as
by far the cheapest, pleasanteSt and best.
Perhaps it is but many persons prefer 1t
as an ingredient of punch, "diluted" with
some good old rum and other non-intoxl-
cants of that kind. On the whole, Mr..
Pierez concludes that with plenty of
exercise. the use of little butchers meat,
and more fish and vegetables, not forget
ting fruit, and the avoidance of too much
alcohol, life in a tropical country should
be attended by comparative freedom from
disease" 1t is possible that even on such
terms, life might be worth living. A few
of the best of our very good young men
may perhaps try the experiment. For the
old fooies the suggestion is too late.